


Avenging Her

by Jenna_Nicole



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Caitlin Snow is Killer Frost, Cisco Ramon & Caitlin Snow Friendship, Clairvoyance, Clone wars season 5 spoilers, Doctor Caitlin Snow, F/M, Gray Jedi, I went off on my own with this, Inquisitor Caitlin Snow, Inspired by Anakin and Ahsoka, Inspired by Twilight of the Apprentice, Inspired by scenes in The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, Jedi Code (Star Wars), Jedi Healer Caitlin Snow, Jedi Knight Cisco Ramon, Khione - Freeform, KillerVibe - Freeform, Minor Ronnie Raymond/Caitlin Snow, Padawan Nora, Post-Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Secret Relationship, Star Wars AU, Star Wars Rebels Spoilers, Star Wars canon means nothing, The Dark Side of the Force, The Flash canon means nothing also, gray Jedi Cisco Ramon, jedi romance, several parts do not reflect Star Wars Canon concerning the Force, westallen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:55:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23614108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jenna_Nicole/pseuds/Jenna_Nicole
Summary: “I was starting to believe I knew who you were, behind those cold eyes. But it's impossible. My friend could never be as vile and bitter as you.”“Caitlin was weak," Khione said with bitterness on her lips. "So I destroyed her.”“Then I will avenge her death.”
Relationships: Barry Allen/Iris West, Cisco Ramon & Nora West-Allen, Cisco Ramon/Caitlin Snow, Ronnie Raymond/Caitlin Snow
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5





	Avenging Her

Nora grasped the hilt of her saber, backing her steps, lifting the amethyst blade to shield her face. The hum of the weapon could not quiet her skipping heartbeat. It was like a fist wrapped around her lungs, as a rush of cold air hit her exposed arms. 

Khione, as they called her, stood above the tie-fighter, hovering over the Sith temple like a phantom, with silvery eyes lit like a candle in the shadows. The tie lowered, and Khione landed without noise, igniting her saber as she met eyes with the girl. "Put the weapon down, child." 

“I’m not afraid of you," Nora said, angling her saber into a threatening stance, held still despite the shakiness of her knees. 

The woman possessed a wicked smirk as if to mock the girl's attempt at bravery. “Then you will die braver than most," she said, slashing at Nora's blade, pushing back with a force that the young padawan couldn't compete with. She feared, if Khione pushed any harder on her weapon, her arms might collapse into themselves. She stumbled back at another strike, finding the hilt slashed away from her fingers just as soon as the woman's scarlet blade sliced through it, leaving it in pieces on the floor of the temple. 

"Perhaps I was wrong," Khione said, narrowing her icy eyes at the child and bringing her saber to hover above Nora's head, about to strike. 

But coming from the lit end of the opposite entrance, standing wide-eyed with fury, was a man. A man that Khione had thought would be long dead, buried in the grounds of the fallen Jedi, a ghost taken by one of Vader's inquisitors. A man that she hadn't set her eyes on since she bore the name of someone else. 

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” he said, voice steady, causing Khione to startle into frozenness, letting her blade hover over the head of the trembling padawan. He was looking at her with untamed fury, like he carried the weight of all the fallen, coming to seek their vengeance. 

And at his anger, Khione was struck frozen under his gaze. 

* * *

Caitlin assessed the damaged skin, running a cool finger over the edge of his palm. A stray brush of Zolomon's saber did little damage to his hand but left a blistery ache that caused him to flinch at the healer's cold touch. 

"How did this happen?" she asked, pressing a bacta-patch over his skin. 

"I had a vision," he said simply, taking a deep breath, bringing his injured hand to his lap, wincing at the way his fingers shifted. "And I acted too quickly to prevent it."

"And did you prevent it?" 

"This time." 

It was a common cause of injury, a Jedi's foresight. Many Jedi, especially the young, would run headfirst into battle at the time of their first vision. But with time, it became easier to navigate such power, and they began to control their compulsions. Based on the stories of this particular young Jedi, she had assumed he would be younger, by the number of times he had been referred to by the other Jedi healers. _The Clairvoyant_ , they called him, with a roll of their eyes. 

“So you’re a padawan learner?” she asked, sliding a few more patches of bacta in a bag for him to take on his way. 

He rolled his eyes, with laughter rolling off his tongue. “Actually, I was knighted a few years back."

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that-” 

He shook his head, silencing her. “Don’t worry about it. I’m older than I look." 

And he was older than she had expected, but his youthfully wide eyes and smile had confused her. That, and the youthful rashness that had landed him under her care in the first place. But when she looked closer, seeing the darkness under his eyes and the weariness of his gaze, she understood. It was a strength that kept him bright-eyed, despite the weight of his clairvoyance probably keeping him awake for most hours of the night. From what she had heard, he was somewhat of a protege, consulting the Jedi fairly often for a force user of his level. 

Catching her gaze, he gave her a cheeky grin. "But it will do me good when I reach Yoda’s age, yeah?” 

She smiled, reaching for his hand. He relaxed, letting his hand rest under hers, taking in the strength of her power, cooling the space where the red burn shimmered. 

“So how does one become a Jedi healer?” he asked, inspecting his hand. 

She smirks. “How does one become a Jedi clairvoyant?” 

“Most Jedi are clairvoyant.” 

“Not like you. You're different. Word gets around." 

He smirks, taking the bag she held out to him. "I would tell you my secret, but you'd regret asking. Sleep is a luxury most want to hold onto."

* * *

The way she looked at him, stunned by the light of his face and his narrowed eyes, it may be believed that she wanted to be by his side. She was frozen in her tracks, keeping her blue eyes focused on the figure standing in the light. And though bodies may manipulate, they both knew deep inside that they were staring at an old friend. She leaned in, feeling the raw familiarity of Cisco, just the same as he had always been. And he reached to her, his Jedi Healer Caitlin Snow, now a ghost of an old friend. They felt the shift of certainty. She was sure, but he was slow to let himself believe it. 

“It was foretold that you would be here, Clairvoyant. Our long-awaited reunion has come at last.” 

"I told you foresight was dangerous," he said, voice thick with emotion. And then he breathed shakily, letting his hand fall onto the hilt on his belt. “I’m glad I gave you something to look forward to.” 

She closed her blade that was still hovering over young Nora, taking a step toward Cisco. “We don’t need to be enemies, Cisco. The Emperor will show you compassion if you supply the locations of the living Jedi.” 

With a piercing gaze, his eyes were on fire with fuming hatred. “There are no Jedi left. You and your fellow inquisitors have seen to that.” 

She smirked, feeling his conflict just as heavily as she used to in their youth. Then, knowing Cisco's weakness like the back of her hand, she turned back to Nora. “Perhaps this _child_ will confess what you will not.”

She turned to face him, not missing the look of betrayal in his soulful eyes, flickering at her flippant regard for his padawan's life. 

He shook his head repeatedly, putting his hands up in some sort of defense, denial screaming in his eyes. 

“I was starting to believe I knew who you were, behind those cold eyes. But it's impossible. My friend could _never_ be as vile and bitter as you.” 

“Caitlin was weak," Khione said with bitterness on her lips. "So I destroyed her.” 

He made a pained expression, tightening his lips, before huffing out a breath, letting his eyes grow cold with anger. “Then I will avenge her death.” 

With rebuking eyes, hinting a smirk, she wagged her finger in front of him. "Revenge is not the Jedi way.” 

And then, finally letting his hand find the hilt of his saber, he removed it, letting an ivory blade pierce the dim temple.

“I’m no Jedi.” 

* * *

"What is it?" she asked, her attention drawn to his heavy eyes, like a storm of thoughts pulling him away from the roof he was sitting on. 

He was different than she had expected. Though unique in their own right, Jedi had a certain level of predictability they had to maintain. This meant honoring the Jedi's ancient code, severing off attachments and keeping their eyes on the will of the force and maintaining the balance. It meant valuing peace over passion and considering death a great victory. They said possession was birthed from greed. They weren't to seek out violence. They were keepers of the peace, not soldiers. 

Cisco cared very little for the code, making it no secret that he considered the strictness an impossible feat. He would argue that passion, with restraint, could be good. That the enjoyment of life or possession was not a fault. Sometimes war was necessary and denying love was just as deadly as hatred. He said that perhaps the balance the Jedi valued so dearly was misinterpreted. That the code was one of the extremes while the darkness was the other, and not maintaining a balance of both could lead to a loss on both ends. 

He was free in that way. He didn't fear to tell her what he truly thought of these things. 

Today though, he had a weight in his eyes that she couldn't pull with her lighthearted comments. When he smiled at her, it didn't meet his eyes. But he would tightly grin, keeping his eyes trained on the senate building just a bit off. 

"Tell me what's wrong," she said, letting her legs dangle over the side of the roof. 

"A feeling," was all he said, flicking his eyes away from the building and back to his friend. "A disturbance." 

"A disturbance?" she asked, biting her lip. "That must be really bad. Not the usual _bad vibe_ as you normally put it?" 

"A disturbance," he confirmed, grimly wrapping his cloak tighter around his body to shield him from a gust of wind. 

"Something coming for the Jedi?" 

"Not for. Within, I think." 

He looked much like a child, wrapped up in his large brown cloak and tied tight with his knees brought close to his chest.

His views on the Jedi were becoming more hostile as time passed. She wondered if it was just intuition or if his visions brought this about. Caitlin didn't doubt the Jedi's benevolence, but she wondered if maybe she should. If maybe his words held truth, being that he had an insight that she never could obtain. Being a healer, she had very few visions of the future. It had been many years since she could recall anything of the sort. But Cisco was entranced in them. If Cisco saw something, she knew to believe it. 

"Your views on the Jedi have changed." 

He sighed, brushing his hand over his tied-back hair. “Sometimes I think they’re taking advantage of my power. Like it's all to win their war and if I am damned because of it they wouldn’t care.” 

"War has a price,” she said, understanding. "They see you as a valuable asset. Do you really think their intentions are that vile?" 

“No, not vile. And you see, I’m not afraid to make the sacrifice, I’m just afraid they won’t give me a choice. Sometimes the visions are a lot and well, it.. _hurts._ ” 

This came as no surprise. Many times she had seen him doubled over, clenching his teeth, gasping at the touch of an object, trembling as he sat, terrified. The injury only furthered his pain. 

“They shouldn’t expect you to hold the entire weight of the galaxy on your shoulders.” 

“But they know I’m willing to do it.” 

They sit in silence for a bit and then he speaks up. 

“What about you? You’ve been distant.” 

She narrowed her eyes away from him, afraid at the thought of being found out. “It’s nothing. Not something I should let get to me.” 

Cisco laughed, giving her a knowing expression. “Ronnie Raymond.” 

“What?” she asked in shock. “How did you know?” 

“You’re not very discrete, Cait. I've seen the way you look at him.” 

She leaned her head back on the wall, closing her eyes. “I need to let him go.” 

“Why?” 

“Why?” she echoed as if to mock him. “Because it's my duty to honor the code. I can’t be in love. It isn’t my right.” 

“It’s everyone’s right,” he said softly. “They can’t just control things like that.” 

“It's for the best.” 

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Have you ever thought the Jedi might be wrong?” 

“Wrong or not, I could be expelled.” 

“Love might be worth it.” 

She paused, looking at Cisco with an incredulous gaze, marveling at the stark comparison between him and the other Jedi. He said things as he saw them. The other Jedi were more careful, not wanting to be seen as disrespectful to the old ways. 

“Have you ever been in love, Cisco?” she asked, wondering where these strong opinions were born. 

He looked up at her, his cheeks warming as if a secret flashed through his avoidant eyes. “Not yet.” 

“But you’d do it? Leave the order for love?” 

He didn't give her time to wonder. “Without question.” 

She laughed, shaking her head at her friend, being classic Cisco Ramon. “You really are one of a kind.”

* * *

Cisco stood there with his blade extended forward, his feet planted firmly into the ground as he waited for his opponent to move. 

She followed his lead, with a flash of scarlet bursting in front of her face, reflecting on the glaze of her eyes. 

The knot in his chest resulted in a fit of rage, with hatred clutching at his eyes, aiming at the monster that had infected Caitlin's warm heart. His fist clutched the sword, and he was moving forward, charging toward the demon, with every intent to destroy. He slammed his blade against her own, fighting with quick and furious strokes. After many violent swipes, Frost fell into a bow, holding her sabers up as Cisco attacked from above. 

They circled each other, slamming the colors against each other, with red on white, fighting to get the upper hand in strength. And Caitlin, never being one for violence, now was relentless to take down Cisco, knowing he was her only remnant to the past. 

* * *

She was sagging forward once she caught up with him, resting her forehead on his shoulder, feeling his heartbeat through his poncho. She couldn't dare to look up and see the decision in his eyes, confirming the fear that had been swimming in her thoughts since the bombing. He placed a thumb on her cheek, lifting her gaze to meet his, and her stomach twisted at the sight. It was Cisco, her Cisco, but he wasn't changing his mind. 

"I know how much Ahsoka meant to you," she said.

"It's not about Ahsoka. It's about the Jedi. The _Jedi_ , Caitlin. They betrayed her and I have to leave before I'm next." 

She couldn't breathe. What had happened to Tano was awful. The accusations. The stripping of her title. The manhunt. Cisco had gotten close to her and Skywalker over the past year, coming back and telling Caitlin of the stories of their heroics. He said that they were what the Jedi _should_ be. So the betrayal, that came so quickly with just a little bit of incriminating evidence, had shattered Cisco's perception of the Jedi. He would never be able to move on and Caitlin knew that. 

But _she_ was his best friend. _She_ was the one he told his secrets too. One day had turned to years for them. Years that Caitlin would never give up. So it hurt in ways that she couldn't even explain to herself. She couldn't accept that he was turning his back on the Jedi Order. That he was turning his back on _her._

“I’m going to miss you,” he said, hugging Caitlin tightly on the steps of the temple. 

She didn’t say anything but she couldn’t stop the tear from sliding down her face. “Are you sure you have to go?” 

He smiled, placing a hand on her arm. “I wish I didn’t, but I can’t live like this. Maybe nobody should.” 

She just looked back at him, looking lost. 

“You should come with me,” he said, resting his hand over her arm. “Then you could be free too. Be with Ronnie. Start a family as you’ve always wanted.” 

It was as if she didn't have a say. Her voice was automatic. “I have a duty, Cisco.” 

He looked disappointed but he nodded. He knew her after all. 

“I know, Cait."

Then he swallowed, looking at the Temple with resolve in his expression. But then, a trace of fear lit his eyes and he reached into her heart with his gaze. He would reach out again. He had to. 

"Please be careful. There is darkness in the order. I’ve sensed it for some time. They _will_ fall." 

"They can't. They won't," she said quickly, denying the sincerity in his eyes.

"I’d hate to see you fall with them.” 

She couldn't worry. She couldn't believe a massive institution like the Jedi order could ever fall. So she ignored his words, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Will I see you again?” 

He turned after a gentle nudge, with a light, hopeful smile. And then, facing the other direction, he looked back, nodding. “I have no doubt.” 

And he was gone, being taken by the Jedi path and the dimming sunset. 

* * *

They circled each other, eyes locked as their sabers met, passing silent messages through the sea of slashing light.

Cisco's steady eyes betrayed his failing heart, like shattered glass poking at his confidence, leaving him winded at the blur of Caitlin's hidden brown eyes. He should have said it, long ago, long before the Jedi got to her, and then Vader. Long before they replaced her hands meant to heal. Back before the light of day left her eyes and the setting suns took him off. He should have told her the truth, as he walked away, telling the real reason to her face. The real reason he wanted her to come with him. 

_I love you_ , his eyes whisper, though his hands were still moving. If he put down his blade, he knew despite his disbelief in Caitlin's distorted eyes, that she would kill him. Without hesitation. He knew, from his time on his own, just how powerful the darkness could be. And just how dangerous it was to let it thrive. 

_I never loved you_ , came a glimmer of narrowed eyes, as she pushed her saber, leading him to the walkway on the outer edge of the Sith temple. 

At the turn, she paused, and for a moment he dared to hope that she might hesitate, standing there like a ghost with her icy hair and silky dark cloak. If not for the hum of the weapon in front of her eyes, she almost looked the same, in the way her lips curled and her body was postured. But as he dared to defuse his blade, taking a step back, her eyes flickered to silver, with gold bleeding through. 

Suddenly, her eyes didn't recognize him anymore, and she did what she had to do. She looked at him and she saw a target. And she was strong, predicting most of his movements, countering them with quick precision. 

Shocked by the edge of the path, he misses his step, tumbling downward with a simple strike, seeing nothing but her wide eyes watching him plummet into the darkness below. 

* * *

He had always assumed she had been killed, much like the other Jedi had during Order 66. He had even hoped for it at times, knowing that there were fates far worse than death. If not the fate he possessed, in a constant state of running and hiding, then the worse was to be in the Empire's pocket. He had never in all his worst nightmares imagined that Caitlin would be one of them. 

After reconnecting with Tano, he had found a place in the Rebel Alliance, going by the code name 'The Seer' for some time. He had served as a voice in broadcast, just an anon with drops of what was to come. Some came from his own foresight, and some came from intel gathered by other rebel cells. Talk over radio had pushed him to follow stories of a Death Star, an old Sith cult, and most interestingly, a mysterious woman that late-night tips called Killer Frost. 

After a few years, he found himself in contact with a daring journalist by the name of Iris, later connecting with her husband Bartholomew. They came to him by the direction of Tano, with their young daughter, Nora Dawn, who was a Force-sensitive. She needed training. That was what finally drew Cisco out of hiding, willing to finally reveal himself as one of the last remaining Jedi. Whether that meant facing an entire fleet in the cockpit of an X-wing or revealing his ancient weapon to fight back against one of Vader's inquisitors. 

He hadn't even considered that Cait, the healer who kept him company, could ever be one of them. Not until a particular mission alongside the West-Allen trio.

This one tie-fighter had been pursuing them relentlessly, predicting their every movement, keeping up despite the risky turns Cisco had taken. It was if this person could sense his movements before he would take them. As if they had some foresight of their own. 

He couldn't deny that he felt something. He had spent a good part of his life constantly surrounded by other Force-sensitives so he could pick up on such things easily. 

“The force is strong with them,” he says to himself, reaching out to feel their presence. He should have been more cautious, he supposed, reaching out to distinguish just how strong the user was. He hadn't been prepared for the onslaught of vague nostalgia or the eeriness of the cold presence. He hadn't expected to be submerged in ice-cold shivers. But despite the blaring pain, it felt familiar, as if he had felt this particular presence before. As if he had even known it with his whole heart. He couldn't keep up with his racing thoughts but his eyes went wide with recognition. 

Just as the thought finally crossed his mind, like a cold hand clasping around his breathless throat, the words came pouring into his mind with her familiar lips.

“The clairvoyant lives.” 

The strength of her power and the grip of her voice on his soul made him dizzy, as a gasp of incredulous denial bursts from his mouth. The wave of darkness clutched him, and he lost his grip on the ship's controls, slamming forward and passing out. 

* * *

Cisco came to a few minutes after Khione tossed him back, squinting at the bright lights of the imploding temple. If Nora had listened, she would be removing the Holocron as they speak, as an attempt to make the foundations collapse on Khione as well as remove the power from their power-hungry enemy. 

But with Khione in her vicinity, he feared what the corrupted woman could do to his overly ambitious young apprentice. 

He had to keep moving, he told himself, stretching his aching legs and moving to climb the temple walls, with his vision focused on the wellbeing of Nora, and not his aching grief at the thought of Cait. 

Maybe she was gone. Maybe he had to accept it. 

'

* .

* '

* *

It was like an invisible hand was pulling on her, keeping her from exiting the temple. Much like the gentle, telekinetic pull of Cisco pulling her to safety, or even the generous push of the Force as she reached out to jump a long distance. But this, this was hardly gentle or generous. It was like she was trying to pull the skin from Nora's back, forcing her to slide backward, like a moth to a flame. 

She closed her eyes, holding the Holocron tight in her grip as Khione pulled her closer, about to slice her through with her fiery saber. She almost accepted it, that the ship hovering in her line of view, the one brought to her rescue by her father, was just too far away from reach. That her master wasn't coming back. That Khione had gotten to him already. 

But then, just as she let the monster pull her into that brush of death, a shriek came echoing through the walls of the temple, and a bright blade of silver struck through the back of Khione's cloak, leaving a string of fabric across the temple floor.

"Run," he said, pushing the ghost back as he came soaring over her, with fury slicing through them. He placed a pulsing hand on Nora's shoulder. "Run," he said again when she didn't move, with a growl in his throat. "Find Tano." 

Nora stepped toward the exit, moving as he commanded, quickening her pace as Khione pulled herself from the glassy floor. 

Struck by Cisco's determined eyes, she felt her body move toward the ship, like an invisible angel pulling her by the fabric of her clothes, lifting her to the safety of _THE FLASH_. The temple was falling in on itself, and Cisco had managed to throw her back, swiftly sliding her through just before the doors fell through with it. 

Cisco had never looked like he did then. Not with such hatred. Not with such rage. Not even with even grief. He had been the one to warn her of the dangers of such emotions in the line of battle. How easy it could be for the darkness to take hold of emotions such as those. 

She just stared, not aware of her father, Bartholemew, moving her to the confines of the ship, or the fiery debris that was hitting her face. Her concern was for her master, consumed by his own grief and pursued by the phantom behind the wall. 

  
* '*

* *

*

*

*

"Wake up!" he pleaded, turning again to face Khione, trying to push aside the voice of Nora crying for his name on the other side of the wall. He walked toward her, now just a puddle of black robes and white hair blocking her face, trembling at his steps. 

They said nothing, both listening to Nora, pleading for him to follow, repeating his name in a loop. 

He couldn't help it. He looked to the door, sending a silent message to his padawan, telling her that things would work out. That the force would be with her. That Tano would be there to show her the way. 

The voice stopped then, and he assumed Barry must have forced her into the ship, causing a great relief inside of Cisco. But then, as he took in the sound of silence, he heard his name again, but this time, coming through the layered voices of Khione, but unmistakably, within it all, he heard the voice of Caitlin Snow. 

“Cisco?” 

* * *

His brain had felt as if it was in a knot, with denial pounding at each wave of fear. The possibility that Caitlin Snow, the girl with the softest brown eyes, could somehow be on the side of the Empire, felt like a lie even when he spoke it. She just wasn't capable. She was always too kind. Too kind to hurt anyone. And even at a time of war, when keepers of the peace were asked to be soldiers, Caitlin hung back, using her power to tend to the wounded rather than fighting at the frontlines. 

All of it. The entire concept. The entire thought. The possibility that Caitlin Snow had somehow become evil was a possibility that he just could not accept. 

But yet, he had felt her. Or at least, something like her. Something familiar. Something similar. 

He had argued with himself, saying that it had been a test. That it was something replicated with the intention of making him confused in this way. That somehow, a mastermind had constructed it. That they had stolen the soul of Caitlin Snow and projected it somehow. 

But it was foolish. 

Deep down, he knew what he felt. He just couldn't admit that it was the truth. 

Despite his denial, he wasn't able to rest until he found the truth. So he went to Nora, leading her to a Jedi Temple revealed to him by one of Ahsoka's Holocron, promising Nora a lesson in the depths of the ancient structure. They entered as a pair, using the Force to access the door, and then waited together, until Nora heard a voice that Cisco could not. 

It was then that Cisco had to wait in the shadows, opening himself to the possibility of the cold truth. Shedding his figurative armor. Letting himself feel for the first time since the dark thought crossed his mind. 

And for quite some time, nothing happened. It was just him, the walls around him, and the cool rock against his bare feet. He could feel his own breath as he sat there, rupturing like a volcanic element deep within his ribcage. It was a fire he hadn't tasted since the heart of the Clone Wars, and it felt like rage and hunger and hatred and death. But it was all that he was for a few moments, as the fight between the light and the darkness circled like a duel inside of him. 

He puffed out some air, unclenching his teeth, with his vision on the light. 

He had to let it go. 

It was the only way the Force would give him an answer. 

And then, as he slowly released his fear, breathing out the hatred, and clinging to the light of compassion, he leaned in, and The Force was with him. 

The silence moved away. 

He waited. 

And then, a voice. "Cisco?" it asked in a ghostly soft tone, coming from behind him, like a gentle balm against his aching chest. He searched the area, trying to locate her, wondering if it had even been a voice at all or if he might have misheard it. 

But then, again. "Cisco?" it asked, stronger, and he couldn't deny it. It was her. It was Jedi Healer Caitlin Snow. His best friend. His loyal companion. His hidden soulmate, that he had hidden from even himself. _Her_ , whispering like a lover in his ear, tearing away at his fear. 

"Cait," he whispered softly, eyes arching upward with burning recognition, as his eyes blur over at his pounding heart. 

The softness fluttered and a broken murmur replaced it, and she asked, “Why did you leave?” 

He can feel her eyes behind him, burning holes through the fabric of his tunic, hovering over him with accusation. Shattered, her voice asked a question. “Where were you when I needed you?”

He couldn't breathe. He couldn't answer. But his mouth was open, speaking to the phantom voice. “I made a choice, Cait. I couldn’t stay.” 

“You were selfish," it broke through, pounding on his eardrum, now a mirage of distorted voices. Voices that belonged to Caitlin, but came from everywhere in the room. 

“No Caitlin," he said quickly, feeling his throat go dry at her declaration. " _No,_ " he said, pushing hard at the word, demanding that the bodiless voice understand him. As if this wasn't a vision. As if this was the true Caitlin Snow looking him dead in the eyes. 

“No Cisco!" her voice came violently, piercing the room. "You abandoned me! You failed me!”

His eyes were heavy, threatening tears. But he clenches his fist, keeping his trembling form from bursting at the seams. 

_She is right_ , he thought, pushing two fists into the floor, carrying the weight of his guilt. 

“Do you know?” she asked, her voice changing to haunt him, with an echoey tone that talked over Caitlin's whisper. “Do you _know_ what **I have _become_**?” the echo asks, with a malevolent triumph at the lift of her voice.

And then a cold wind, like a breath of the dead, covered his skin. Leaving him gasping and trembling. “No,” he says repeatedly, unable to comprehend or believe.

NO. NO. NO. NO. 

_NO._

_Nooo._

**_No._ **

And then a roaring scream came from his throat as a tear finally slid down his cheek. 

He turned to the voice, flinging his lightsaber toward its direction only to find darkness. Just an empty walkway and a set of stairs. Just looking at him. Just mocking his aching body. 

And despite it all. Despite what he had just felt. Despite what he had just heard. Despite it all. 

He tells himself that it can't be true. 

* * *

Over and over, his answer was given to him. 

Caitlin Snow was one of the same as Khione. Killer Frost, the legend passed on in the late night transmissions, was Caitlin Snow. Caitlin was Khione. Khione was Frost. Frost was.. _Caitlin_. His dearest friend was an inquisitor. An inquisitor who he _loved_. 

He knew this, deep down. He always had since the moment he felt her presence taunt him. But now, in the Sith temple, with his back to Frost, he finally heard her voice. Through the mouth of a monster. Her. Caitlin. Calling, asking him, his name, wondering just as he wondered about her if she was really looking at her friend in her memory.

"Cisco?" she asked, the voice suddenly clear as her own, not shredded by the overtone of Khione. Just her, with her own eyes, and her own heart, seeing, for the first time in so long. 

Cisco spun to face her, his eyes large and hopeful, finally unable to deny the face that he is looking at. And as he saw her, peering back at him through her icy eyes, transformed by the white of her hair and the paleness of her face, he couldn't do it. He couldn't be angry. He couldn't hold onto the fury. And it passed, melting away as he stepped closer. 

“Caitlin.” 

“Cisco,” she said again, softer. 

“Caitlin,” he forced, with realization in his voice, and tears swelling in his eyes. 

She was still gripping her weapon with clenched fingers, white with rage, but she was frozen. Her eyes did not leave him as she moved closer. 

"I won't leave you," he said, extending a hand, reattaching his saber to his belt with the other. "Not this time. Never again." 

She looked at him closely, her eyes betraying the frown of her lips. And as he watched her, moving forward with a gentle step, her eyes beginning to soften. And for a moment, but only a moment, her eyes were flooded with brown, as if Caitlin had been enough to turn off Khione.

But just as quickly as her eyes bled to brown, they slipped back into an icy glow and her face transformed. It looked as if it caused her pain, but she said the words anyway, switching her blade on and aiming it toward him.

“Then you will die.” 

* * *

Time had once been simple. But not so simple that he hadn't fallen in love with her. 

What had it been? Maybe he couldn't define it. Maybe he shouldn't be able to. Maybe he just _did_. 

Or maybe it had been the two of them, existing beside one another. 

Or maybe it had been more than that. 

Maybe it was simple. 

It had been Cisco meeting Caitlin in the center of the healers, being taunting by the others with their knowing gazes. 

And it had been Caitlin pulling him to the roof, looking into his eyes for a sign of light despite everything. 

And it had been Cisco, making up stories while Caitlin stared wistfully at a stary canvas. 

And it had been Caitlin, kissing his cheek after he came back angry and torn. 

But on one night, it had been Caitlin, pulling at the cotton of his cloak, wrapping her fingers around his shaky hands. She had leaned in, looking deep into his eyes with warm reflection. "I have something for you," she said. 

"You know how the Jedi feel about possessions," he countered, with a smirk peeking out of his distress. 

"Yes, but I also know how you feel about the Jedi and their code." 

He laughed, eyes sparkling at her words. "So what is it?" 

"Close your eyes," she said softly, cheering at his compliance. 

"Okay." 

"Open your hand." 

He reached forward, feeling the warmth of her touch as she pressed a cool object into his palm. He brushed the object, feeling its edges, clutching it to feel the shape of the rock. 

"A kyber crystal?" he asked, eyes fluttering open to look at her. 

She smiled, pointing down to his palm. "In its purest form. Perfectly clear." 

He peered down, examining it closely. 

"Not corrupted. Not tarnished. Neither made of darkness nor light. Just pure. Just The Force." 

He lifted it, letting the sun reflect it, creating a wave of colorful light across the glistening sky. 

"Like you," she said, closing his hand around it and pushing his fist to his own chest. "Just like you." 

* * *

"Kill me if you must," he said, eyes burning through hers. "But I won't fight you, Caitlin." 

"That's a mistake," she said, laughing at him. "Caitlin is dead." 

He just shook his head, bringing himself to stand mere inches from the tip of her lightsaber, lingering there with certain eyes. He would never accept the lie from her mouth. "Not to me. Never to me." 

About to protest, the ground crumbled beneath her feet, causing her to spiral backward behind a stream of falling rock. 

"Your faith is misguided, my _friend,_ " she sneered, coughing as more of the foundation fell around them. "You need to let me go." 

He just shook his head, tearing his saber from his waist and tossing it to the side. "Don't ask me to do that." 

"Let me go, Cisco," she said again, stepping forward through the rubble, her eyes growing more intense.

He knew deep inside that this was the end.

And as he met her eyes, he could see Caitlin, trying to save him from the monster that was standing before him. Caitlin, reaching out to him as the floor folded in on itself. And in his backtrack of footsteps, he missed the falling ceiling, and the outstretched hand as the darkness clouded his eyes. 

* * *

She hated him. 

She _had_ to. 

It was her duty as an ally to Vader. 

Killing Cisco was simple, wasn't it? 

Despite the goal given to her by her master and the cold rage in her stomach, she found herself panic at the danger above her enemy. It caused her to stumble, with confusion aching in her mind, as something told her that she was forgetting something. Something immensely important. Her fury subsided as she glanced at him, and her blood ran cold, with the realization that Cisco may truly die at her hand.

And the startling fear brought her forward.

She dropped her weapon into the melting rock and reached forward, taming the fall of the upper levels, moving her hands to seal the cracks. She accessed the ancient power of Khione and birthed rage, bursting forth with shimmery icicles to frame them both. She had landed over him, spooning him in her silky cloak and covering him with her exposed arms.

She couldn't feel the rocks striking her as she focused on the frozen dome she was building over them. She couldn't feel anything at all. She just knew what her body was trained to do since the moment she met Cisco Ramon. And that was, without question, to save him from harm. To cure him. To heal his injury. 

She forgot what she was supposed to be doing. 

Keeping her arms wrapped over him like protective armor, she held him tight as the temple collapsed above, sinking into his warmth. 

And she closed her eyes, attempting to pull her mind away from the sense that she was home. 

* * *

When everything finally stopped, she pulled away from him, catching her wrist on the chain around his neck, losing her breath at the shock. She held it, the pure kyber crystal, in the palm of her hand. She felt the edge of it with her thumb, attempting to swallow back the way it had felt in his hand, warm and calloused on that temple roof. And for a moment as she stared at him blankly, a feeling swelled deep in her chest, and she remembered him. 

All of him. 

His heart. His mind. His love. 

And she dared to look his way, gasping at the twitching of his lips. 

She dropped the chain, letting the crystal fall to his chest.

His eyes fluttered open and he looked up at her. "Cait, is that you?" 

She was still close to him, just hovering over him without movement. At his kind gaze, her eyes bled warm for a moment and she pressed a kiss to his forehead. Then she lifted his hand, just as she had long ago, pressing her fingers to the broken skin in an attempt to heal him. 

He smiled, gazing up at her, locking his eyes to hers. 

"Please," she said, begging him with her eyes. "Please don't chase me. Please don't force me. Don't make me kill you." 

He swallowed, eyes stinging from tears. 

"Please, let me go, sweet Cisco." 

He couldn't nod. He couldn't ever promise something like that. 

She rose at his reluctant stare, turning to leave him. Knowing her hands were not Caitlin's anymore. Knowing her heart was frozen for too long to love him. They had killed Caitlin Snow during the fall. Cisco had been right to warn her, but she didn't listen to him. So this was her penance. This was the price she had to pay. This was the thing she had to lose. 

And she had to leave him alone. Hate him to save him. Hate him enough to not chase him. Because if she loved him, she would go after him. And if she went after him, she knew she may kill him. 

It was mercy. 

But still, she whispered, trembling as Khione took her form, "Please, strong darkness, allow me to let _him_ go." 


End file.
